Artificial bait with air passageway



Dec. 23, 1958 A. G. SPUGIOS ARTIFICIAL BAIT WITH AIR PASSAGEWAY Filed Jan. 16. 1957 INVENTOR. fizz; r05 6. 5Pz/6/05 which will leave'a trail of bubbles in its wake to attract United States Patent 2,865,129 ARTIFICIAL BAIT WITH AIR PASSAGEWAY Aristos G. Spugios, Kalamazoo, Mich. Application January 16, 1957, Serial'No. 634,805

8 Claims. (01. 43-42136) This invention relates in general to an artificial bait or lure for catching fish and, more particularly, to a type thereof constructed to maintain a predeterminable positionin the water, with a portion thereof extending above the-surface of said water, and having means whereby a trail of bubbles will be left in the wake of said bait when it is moved through the water in the usual manner. This application is a continuation-in-part of my co-pending application, Serial No. 498,663, filedApril 1, 1955, and now abandoned. i i i It is well known that large gamefish often prey on small wounded fish, that wounded fish-tend to move to the surface of the water, and 'that fish will often leave a trail of bubbles when they are in distress. Insofar as practical used the above facts.

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention has I am aware, no single fish bait has been designed to make been the provision of an artificial fish bait-or lure, which 'will remain near the surface -of the water like an injured cluding the upper end' of an arcuate passageway, which extends downwardly, rearwardly and out through the rearward end of the body of the lure.

A further object of this invention has been the provision of a fish bait, as aforesaid, which is sturdy in structure,

which can be easily used in the conventional manner. of

using artificial baits, and which requiresno special adjustments or operating technique for such use beyond that normally found in conventional baits Other objects and purposes ofthis invention will become apparent to persons familiar with this typeof equipment upon reading the following description and examining the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a fijsh bait embodying my invention.

--body 11. i

An air-tight-chamber; 13 is-provided -in the body -11;betweenthe said-convex wall 16 of the passageway 12-and 2,865,129 Patented Dec. 23, 1958 as 'well as others related thereto, I have provided an artificial lure or fish .bait v10.(Figures 1 and 2),.havingan elongated body 11 with a lengthwise, arcuate passageway .12 extending forwardly and upwardly from the rearward end of said body and opening both at the rearwardend of said body-and through the upper side thereof. An

air-tight chamber 13is', provided in the frontward end of the body lljadjacent to the convex side of the passageway 12. The leading, or forward, end. of thebody 11 is sloped to correspond withthe curvature 'of. the

passageway 12 and is embraced by'a hydrofoil 14,. which.

extends laterally from the opposite sides of said body 11. Snare means, such asthe hook 15, are providedonwthe body 11 in aconventional manner. i t

For convenience in description, the terms, upper,

lower, ;and derivatives thereof,- will have reference to the lure 10 and parts thereof as appearing in Figures 2 and 4. The terms, front,. rear,-andderivatives thereof, will have reference to 'the lure 1 0 as appearing in Figure 4. p The terms, inner, outer, and derivatives thereof, will have referencetto the geometric 'centercof the lure 10 and-parts thereof.

Construction;

The lure 10. (Figures 1 and 2) is comprised of a body 11, which may be fabricated from any conventional, synthetic or natural materiaLsuch as plasticor'wood. The

body 11 is provided with an;internal, 'arcuate passageway 12, which extends from a position adjacent'to .the rearward end of the body 11 forwardly and upwardly to-a. position spaced from thefrontwa'rd end;of said body. 11. i In the particular embodiment of the invention disclosed in Figures 1 and 2,-said passageway 12'opens iatits forward end through the upper surface 'of :said body 11 and has a flared openingat itsgrear ward end, primarily through the lower surface of; said; body adjacent toxthe rearward end thereof. Thus, the convex, lower wall'16 of said passageway -12 faces the forward end' of the the front end'wall 17-of the body .1 1. The wall .1;7 -,-is

curved downwardly and rearwardly to conform substantially with the curvature of-the passageway 12.

Another aintight chamber 18 maybe providedJinthe body 11 adjacent to the concave, upper-wall 19.01? :the

:Figure 2 is a sectional view, substantially as taken along the line II-II of Figure 1.

.Figure 3 is a sectional view, substantially-as taken along the line III-III of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view, substantially as taken along the line IVIV of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of an alternate structure embodying my invention.

Figure 6 is a sectional view, substantially as taken along the line VIVI of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a sectional view, substantially as taken along the line VII-VII of Figure 5. p Figure 8 is'a fragmentary, top plan view of'a modi' fied fish bait. I In'meeting the objectsand purposes 's'et forth above,

. inafter.

passageway 12. v The concave wall19. has;a substantially horizontal portion 21 near .the. rearward end thereof, which is followed by a downwardly extending portion 22.

The interior wallof the downwardly extending portion 22 flares downwardly -with respectto the remainder of the passageway 1 2 ;An outlet opening 23 is provided through the downwardly extending portion22 of the. wall '19,.just below the horizontal portion 21 thereof.

A pair of guide vanes-24 and25 (Figures 1, 2 and-4) extend out of the upper wall 19 ofthe passageway 12,

near the rearward end thereof, toward the lower surface of the body 11, where said passageway opens-therethrough. The vanes 24 and 25- converge rearwardly toward the outlet opening 23, for reasons-appearing-here- Left and right scoops2'6 and 27 v(Figure 1) areprovided on the opposite sides of the body 11, near the rearw-ard end thereof but forwardly of the outlet opening 23. Said scoops 26 and 27 open toward the frontward end of the body 11 andcommunicate with the passageway 12 by means of the inlet openings "28 and 29, respectively, through theJside-walls. of the :body 11. The scoops26 and 27, hence "theinletbpenings ZS and 29, are'pr'eferably, but not necessarily,fdirectly opposite each other.

.During normal'operation, the openings 28"and 29} are disposed entirely below-the su'rfaceof the*water andthe aseanae scoops 26 and 27 are almost entirely submerged. The inlet openings 28 and 29 communicate with the passageway 12 adjacent to, and just below, the horizontal portion 21 of the concave, upper wall 19, for purposes which will become apparent hereinafter. The normal position of the lure 10 within the water is indicated by the broken line 31 (Figure 2), which represents the surface of the water.

An arcuate plate 14 (Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4), hereinafter referred to as the hydrofoil, conforms with, and snugly embraces, the curved, front wall 17 of thebody 11 from the upper end 33 to the lower end 34 thereof. The hydrofoil 14 extends laterally substantially beyond the leftward and rightward sides of the body. A pair of downwardly and forwardly extending flanges 35 and 36 are preferably provided at the outer, lateral ends of the hydrofoil 14 and are advantageously integral therewith. Said hydrofoil is provided with a pair of rearwardly and downwardlyextending lobes 37 and 38 on opposite sides of the body 11 (Figures 1, 2 and 4), which curve away from Y the body 11 adjacent to the lower end 34 of the front wall 17. Said lobes 37 and 38 preferably have a curvature reversed to that of the main portion of the hydrofoil 14 from which they depend. A tongue 39 is secured to,

and extends forwardly from, the upper edge of the hydrofoil 14 near the center thereof (Figures 1 and 2), for the purpose of securing the lure 10 to a conventional line 41. A hook 15 (Figure 2) may be secured to the bottom of the lure 10, as by means of a bracket 42.

A lure 51, having an alternate structure, is disclosed in Figures 5, 6 and 7. Said lure 51 has an elongated body A 52 with an arcuate passageway 53, which extends from the rearward end of the body 52 forwardly and upwardly through the upper side of said body 52 approximately mid-way between the ends thereof. The rearward end of the passageway 53 opens through the rearward end of the body 52 and flares both horizontally and vertically (Figures and 6) at said rearward end thereof. The purpose of such flaring, in both forms of the lure, is to induce and accelerate the fiow of air rearwardly through the passageways 12 and 53. An air-tight chamber 54 is provided at the frontward end of the body 52 in a manner, and with a structure, substantially similar to that of the air-tight chamber 13 in the body 11. The size of the chambers 13 and 54 may be varied, as desired or required,

particularly with respect to the buoyancy required by the lures and 51, respectively. A pair of scoops 55 and 56 (Figures 5 and 7) are provided on opposite sides of the body 52 and communicate with the passageway 53' through the inlet openings 57 and 58 in substantially the same manner discussed hereinabove with respect to the scoops 26 and 27 on the lure 10.

A hydrofoil 59, which .may be substantially identical to the hydrofoil 14 on the lure 10, is secured to the downwardly and rearwardly curved, front'wall 61 of said body 52. A pair of hooks 62 are secured to the lower surface of the body 52 in a substantially conventional manner and for substantially conventional purposes.

A modified bait 10a is disclosed in Figure 8. This bait is substantially identical with the bait disclosed in Figures 1-4, but does not have scoops corresponding to the scoops 26 and 27, and does not have vanes corresponding to the vanes 24 and 25. The outlet opening 23a is elongated and its longitudinal axis extends transversely of the longitudinal axis of the bait.

Operation When the lure 10 is being pulled through the water in the normal manner by the line'41, said lure will maintain a position with respect to the surface 31 of said water about as shown in Figure 2. Thus, the front, or upper, end of the passageway 12 will be above the water line and open to receive free air. The scoops 26 and 27, being substantially submerged in the water, will catch water, which is driven by impact through the inlet openings 28 and 29 into the passageway 12 and thence out through the rearward and downward open end of said passageway 12. Such rearward movement of the water through the passageway 12 will tend to aspirate air into the passageway from the upper end thereof. The air will tend to remain close to the concave, upper wall 19 of said passageway 12. Thus, as such air moves along the horizontal portion 21 of the concave wall 19, it will be encountered by the water coming through the scoops 26 and 27 and driven toward the rearward end of the body 11, where it will escape in bubbles through the outlet opening 23.

It becomes apparent in this particular structure, therefore, that the inlet openings 28 and 29 must be fairly close to the upper surface of said passageway 12 to insure movement of the air along the upper wall 19 toward the rearward end of the passageway 12. The guide vanes 24 and 25 tend to channel the air toward the outlet opening 23 and prevent the air from escaping beneath the lower edge of the rearward end of the passageway 12 since,

.in this embodiment, it is preferable to have the air bubbled out through the outlet opening 23.

The buoyancy of the lure 10, in this particular embodiment of the invention, is primarily provided by the chamber 13 located at the forward end thereof. Thus, when tension on the line 41 is relaxed, the rearward end of the lure will tend to sink. This motion, caused by the dropping of the rearward end of the lure 10, is desirable because it simulates the action of a wounded fish. When, however, it becomes desirable to have the lure 10 again assume its normal position, as shown in Figure 2, the fisherman need only tighten the line 41 and the hydrofoil 14, as it moves through the water, will cause said lure 10 to again assume said normal position. The action and buoyancy of the lure 10 may be modified, within the scope of this invention, by modifying the number and/or location of the air-tight chambers in the body 11, by modifying the shape and precise positioning of the scoops 26 and 27, and by making slight alterations in the precise shape and configuration of the hydrofoil 14.

The alternate structure disclosed in Figures 5, 6 and 7 with respect to the lure 51 differs from that disclosed with respect to the lure 10 only in that the trailing, or rearward, end of the passageway 53 opens through the rearward end of the body 52 and thereby eliminates the necessity of a separate outlet opening, such as that shown at 23 in the body 11 (Figure 2). The upper, or concave, wall of the passageway 53 in the body 52 (Figure 6) dips below the water line 31. The inlet openings 57 and 58 are preferably disposed just forwardly of the low point in said concave, upper wall (Figure 6), for the purpose of permitting water being rammed through said inlet openings to engage the air trapped adjacent to the upper wall of the passageway 53 and drive it out in bubbles through lure 51 will tend to sink in the water when said lure is not being pulled through the water. However, the hydrofoil 59 will, as in the case of its counterpart on the lure 10, return the lure 51 to its normal position (Figure 6) as soon as said lure is pulled through the water in a conventional manner.

The modified bait 10a disclosed in Figure 8 is similar in most respects to, and operates in the same fashion as, the embodiment of the invention disclosed in Figures 1-4. However, in this embodiment, the scoops 26 and 27 are eliminated, since their use is not absolutely essential to the successful functioning of the bait 10a. As the bait is drawn through the water, a suction is created as the result of the downward flaring of the rearward portion of the passageway 12, which suction pulls air through the passageway. The air exits below the surface of the water to provide a series of air bubbles trailing the bait as it is moved through the water. While the scoops, as disclosed in Figures l4, improved the suction of the air into the passageway 12, it has been found that the downward flaring of the rearward end of the passageasse of thebait a. The. orientation of the opening 23a has been found to materially improve the characteristics of the train of bubbles which follows the bait as it is pulled through the water.

Although particular, preferred embodiments of my invention have been disclosed and described herein for illustrative purposes, it will be understood that variations or modifications Within the scope of such invention are fully contemplated unless specifically stated to the contrary in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An artificial bait comprising: an elongated body adapted to be drawn lengthwise through the waterto define a leading end and a trailing end, said body having an arcuate passageway extending therethrough and having a leading portion and a trailing portion respectively corresponding to said leading end and said trailing end, the leading portion of said passageway being curved upwardly with respect to the lengthwise axis of said body and the trailing portion of said passageway extending lengthwise of said body; said body having a buoying chamber in said body adjacent to the leading end thereof and beneath the leading portion of said passageway; an arcuate hydrofoil on the leading end of said body curving through a path substantially parallel with the curvature of the leading portion of said passageway and then reversely therefrom, said hydrofoil having end portions extended beyond the opposite, lateral sides of said body; a pair of scoops on said lateral sides of said body opening toward, and spaced from, said hydrofoil, and communicating with said passageway.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein a pair of spaced vanes are secured to the wall of said passageway near the rearward end of the trailing portion of said passageway and extend toward said rearward end and converge toward said rearward end.

3. An artificial bait comprising: an elongated body adapted to be drawn lengthwise through the water to define a leading end and a trailing end, said body having an arcuate passageway extending therethrough and having a leading portion and a trailing portion respectively corresponding to said leading end and said trailing end, the leading portion of said passageway being curved upwardly with respect to the lengthwise axis of said body and the trailing portion of said passageway extending lengthwise of said body, said body having an arcuate leading end wall having a curvature substantially parallel with the curvature of said leading portion of said passageway; said 'body having a pair of air-tight chambers disposed upon opposite sides of said passageway, one chamber being located adjacent to said leading end wall of said body; an arcuate hydrofoil snugly embracing a substantial portion of said leading end wall and having a portion reversely curving a short distance away from said body, said hydrofoil having end portions extended beyond the opposite sides of said body; a pair of scoops on said opposite sides of said body opening toward, and spaced from, said leading end wall and communicating with said passageway; a pair of flanges at the extended end portions of said hydrofoil, extending away from the leading end wall of said body; and snare means on said body.

4. An artificial bait comprising: an elongated body adapted to be drawn lengthwise through the water to define a leading end and a trailing end, said body having an arcuate passageway extending therethrough and having a leading portion and a trailing portion respectively corresponding to said leading end and said trailing end, the leading portion of said passageway being curved upwardly with respect to the lengthwise axis of said body and the trailing portion of said passageway extending lengthwise of said body; said body having a buoying chamber in said body adjacent to. theleading end thereof and disposed beneath the leading portion of said passageway; an arcuate hydrofoil on the leading end of said body; a pair of scoops on the lateral sides of said body opening toward, arid spaced from, said hydrofoil, said, body having an opening adjacent each of said scoops, said openings communicating with said trailingportion of said "passageway in the upper region thereof.

5. The combination ,of' claim 4 wherein the rearward end of the trailing portion of said passageway opens downwardly through said body, and wherein said body has an outlet opening therethrough and extending upwardly with respect to the lengthwise axis of said body, said'opening communicating with said passageway adjacent the rearward end thereof.

6. The combination of claim 5, including a pair of spaced vanes secured to the lateral walls of the trailing portion of said passageway adjacent to the rearward end thereof and below said outlet opening, said vanes diverging in a direction toward said leading portion.

7. An artificial bait comprising: an elongated body adapted to be drawn lengthwise through the water to define a leading end and a trailing end, said body having an arcuate passageway extending therethrough and having a leading portion and a trailing portion respectively corresponding to said leading end and said trailing end and having an intermediate portion connecting said leading portion and said trailing portion, the leading portion of said passageway being curved upwardly with respect to the lengthwise axis of said body and the intermediate portion of said passageway extending lengthwise of said body and the trailing portion of said passageway flaring with respect to the remainder of said passageway and opening downwardly through said body; said body having a buoying chamber therein adjacent to the leading end thereof and beneath the leading portion of said passageway, said chamber buoying the leading end of said body as said body is drawn through the water so that the leading end thereof extends partially above the surface of the water and the upper end of the leading portion of the passageway communicates with the ambient air; said body having an outlet opening therethrough adjacent the trailing end thereof, said outlet opening extending upwardly and rearwardly with respect to the lengthwise axis of said body and communicating with said passageway adjacent the trailing portion thereof, said outlet opening normally being positioned below the surface of the water as said body is drawn lengthwise therethrough so that air aspirated into said passageway by movement of said body bubbles out through said outlet opening during such movement; and an arcuate hydrofoil on the leading surface of said body and extending rearwardly and downwardly on said body.

8. An artificial bait comprising: an elongated body adapted to be drawn lengthwise through the water to define a leading end and a trailing end, said body having a convex leading surface; a concavo-convex hydrofoil secured to said leading surface with the concave surface thereof adjacent said leading surface, the convex surface of said body extending downwardly and rearwardly at a substantial angle with respect to the lengthwise axis of said body, said hydrofoil having end portions extended beyond the opposite sides of said body, each end portion having a downwardly and forwardly extending flange at the outer end thereof; said body having an arcuate passageway extending therethrough and having a leading portion and a trailing portion respectively corresponding to said leading end and said trailing end and having an intermediate portion connecting said leading portion and said trailing portion, the leading portion of said passageway being curved upwardly with re spect to the lengthwise axis of said body and the intermediate portion of said passageway extending lengthwise of said body and the trailing portion of said passageway flaring with respect to the remainder of said passageway and opening downwardly through said body; said body. having a buoying chamber therein adjacent to the leading end thereof and beneath the leading portion of said passageway, said chamber buoying the leadeating with said passageway adjacent the trailing portion 8 thereof, said outlet opening normally being positioned below the' surface of the water as said body is drawn lengthwise therethrough so that air aspirated into said passageway by movement of said body bubbles out through said outlet opening during such movement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,597,703 Young Aug. 31, 1926 2,207,425 Arbogast July 9, 1940 2,538,459 Kasmeyers Jan. 16, 1951 2,589,970

Shahan Mar. 18, 1952 

